Nicstic refill system

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a smoke-free cigarette, which provides the user with just nicotine and no toxic and/or carcinogenic compounds. The cigarette comprises two pieces, a reusable piece with a thermoplastic sleeve with a deposited heat-reflecting coating, an air inlet opening and a heat source mounted in the sleeve such that air flow channels are created with a star-shaped or wave-shaped form; and an exchangeable non-reusable piece with a nicotine and aroma deposit, a filter and optionally a nicotine meter and usage display. The heat released by the heat source heats the air sucked through the air-flow channels by the consumer and passes through the deposit such as to release the nicotine and aromas present in the deposit which, after passing through the filter may be consumed by the smoker.

FIELD OF APPLICATION

The invention of the smoke-free cigarette (NICSTIC REFILL SYSTEM in thefollowing) should prevent the toxic materials (tar, carcinogeniccompounds like, inter alia, hydrazine, chrysene, arsenic, cadmium,benzapyrene, benzanthracene, formaldehyde, nitric amines) occurringduring conventional smoking and to supply the consumer only the nicotinewith aromatic substances desired by him.

At the same time the aim of the subject matter of the invention was,apart from the supply of the nicotine, to achieve an as close aspossible approximation of the normal smoking, namely by

a) retaining the shape of the cigarette,

b) retaining the conventional filter tip,

c) producing the agreeable feel of heat occurring during inhalation, and

d) retaining the flavour of the tobacco thus facilitating for the smokerthe change from normal cigarettes to the NICSTIC REFILL SYSTEM.

By the smoke-free nicotine supply the consumer of the NICSTIC REFILLSYSTEM can satisfy his nicotine requirement in the face of theever-increasing prohibition of smoking (aeroplanes, railway stations,public buildings, restaurants) as well as in households (living rooms,children's rooms), without irritating and/or injuring third parties(passive smokers) and without violating the ban.

Due to the fact, that the NICSTIC REFILL SYSTEM can offer variablestrengths of nicotine deposits, in an ideal manner it can be used tobreak the smoke-nicotine habit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The smoke-free cigarette (NICSTIC REFILL SYSTEM in the following),subject mater of the invention, is exactly the size of a conventionalcigarette.

The NICSTIC REFILL SYSTEM comprises four parts:

-   -   an exchangeable, non-reusable part, namely the filter (1),        nicometer-consumption meter (2) (optional) and the nicotine        deposit, incl. aromatic substances (3) (FIG. 1),    -   a reusable part (FIG. 2), namely the jacket (4), coated with        thermoplastic material, with an air inlet opening (5), air-flow        channels (6), these shown longitudinally sectioned in FIG. 2 and        cross-sectioned in FIG. 3, a star-shaped heat source (7) in FIG.        3 and a wave-shaped heat source in FIG. 4 and a trigger/igniter        (8), while by virtue of the smaller diameter (relative to the        reusable part) and the length of the nicotine deposit on the one        hand and a corresponding space, left free, in the reusable part        on the other, a slipping-on of the exchangeable part according        to FIG. 1 up to the filter or the nicometer/consumption meter,        incl. filter, the diameter of which corresponds exactly to the        reusable part, is assured,    -   alternatively, a reusable part (FIG. 5), namely the sleeve (9)        from a thermoplastic material with a plug-in connection (10) to        the charging station in the air inlet opening (11) to the        heating coil (12), with a heat-storing medium (13) and air-flow        channels (14), while due to the smaller diameter (relative to        the reusable part) and the length of the nicotine deposit on the        one hand and a corresponding space, left free, in the reusable        part on the other, a slipping-on of the exchangeable part        according to FIG. 1 up to the filter or the        nicometer/consumption meter, incl. filter, the diameter of which        corresponds exactly to the reusable part, is assured,    -   and together with the part discussed in 2.3 from a storage and        charging station configured in the form of a case (FIG. 6), said        station connecting, via the plug-in connection (10), the heating        coil (12) present in the reusable part (FIG. 5) to the charging        compartment (15), and heating it until the thermostat (16)        terminates the heating process and simultaneously signals the        application time by the LED indicator (17) displaying the green        colour (previously displaying the red colour); the fourth part        further comprises a storage compartment (18) for two or further        parts in accordance with FIG. 5 which after the removal of the        heated-up reusable part can be placed into the charging        compartment for the purpose of heating up and then are        immediately available again to the smoker after consuming the        first “cigarette” and a further storage compartment (19) for the        non-reusable parts (FIG. 1); the storage and charging station        further comprises a battery in a battery compartment (20), that        is connected via a plug-in opening (21) to charge the battery.

Instead of releasing the nicotine during the burning of the tobacco, thenicotine is bound in a nicotine deposit (3), that is situated directlyin front of the filter, and is released together with the tobaccoaromatic substances by the heated up air and inhaled by the consumer.

The heating of the air is carried out by the energy stored in the heatsource (7) The energy is stored either in the form of crystallisationheat, that is activated by the trigger/igniter (8), or is released by aheat-storing medium (13), that is adequately heated up by the heatingcoil (12). The heat, occurring after the activation, is sufficient forapprox. 1-3 minutes to inhale heated air, that can release nicotine (ina quantity individually desired/chosen by the consumer), correspondingto one cigarette. At the same time it is assured, that the heat will bereleased evenly during a period of approx. 1-3 minutes. Even if theinhalation is interrupted, due to the released crystallisationheat/released heat of the heat-storing medium, no disruption, no danger,will occur, since the heat can be released also through the air intakeopening.

The heat source (7) is fed by a material, that after crystallisation andheat release can be “recharged” up to 3000 times by supplying heat (by awater bath in hot/boiling water) or from a heat-storing medium (13),that is heated shortly prior to commencing the smoking by supplyingelectric energy via heat coils according to FIG. 6, while a charging tocarry out each of the multiple smoking processes and an overallserviceability lasting for years is ensured by a battery (rechargeablethrough any power point).

1. A smoke-free cigarette, comprising two parts namely: a reusable partwith a jacket coated with a thermoplastic material with avapour-deposited heat-reflecting coating, an air inlet opening and aheat source that is included in the coating in such a manner thatair-flow channels are produced an exchangeable, non-reusable part with anicotine-flavour deposit, and a filter; and wherein the heat, releasedby the heat source, heats up the air inhaled by the consumer through theair-flow channels and passes in a heated state through the deposit,consequently releasing nicotine and aromatic substances situated in thedeposit and after passing through the filter can be absorbed by thesmoker.
 2. A smoke-free cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the heatsource comprises crystals welded into a film, that during acrystallisation process can produce a quantity of heat for a time periodof between 1-3 minutes that is sufficient to release the nicotine andthe aromatic substances in the nicotine-flavour deposit.
 3. A smoke-freecigarette according to claim 2, wherein by supplying heat to thecrystals welded into the film, the crystallisation process can berepeated up to 3000 times.
 4. A smoke-free cigarette according to claim1, wherein the heat source when triggered by an activating membrane as atrigger/ignitor, produces an adequate quantity of heat for at least oneheating period of between 1-3 minutes in length that releases thenicotine and the aromatic substances in the nicotine-flavour deposit,and wherein the heat source is an exchangeable one.
 5. A smoke-freecigarette according to claim 1, wherein the heat source is a heatstoring medium, that during a repeatable period of between 1-3 minutesreleases such a quantity of heat that is sufficient to heat up the airinhaled by the smoker and passing through the nicotine-flavour deposit,that the desired nicotine and aromatic substances will be released,while the amount of energy that has to be released into the medium forthe above mentioned purpose is supplied by heating coils immediatelyprior to the smoking process, said heating coils being heated up by anexternal battery situated in a charging station.
 6. A smoke-freecigarette according to claim 5, wherein the charging station includes athermostat for limiting the amount of energy supplied.
 7. A smoke-freecigarette according to claim 5 wherein the readiness of the smoke-freecigarette is simultaneously signaled to the consumer by one or more ofan LED display changing colours and an acoustic signal.
 8. A smoke-freecigarette according to claim 5, further comprising a storage andcharging station which is configured in the form of a case containingtwo storage compartments, a first one of the storage compartmentsholding at least two reusable parts for the cigarette in such a mannerthat immediately after the removal of a first heated-up reusable part, anext reusable part of the smoke-free cigarette can be heated up; and asecond one of the storage compartments holding the non-reusable part ofthe cigarette.
 9. The smoke-free cigarette according to claim 1 whereinthe heat source is one of a star-shape and wave-shape when viewed incross-section.
 10. The smoke-free cigarette according to claim 1 whereinthe non-reusable part of the cigarette further includes a nicotineconsumption display.
 11. The smoke-free cigarette according to claim 2,further comprising a trigger/ignitor that initiates the crystallisationprocess.
 12. The smoke-free cigarette according to claim 11, wherein thetrigger/ignitor is an activating membrane.